By Dr Shahid Qureshi: –
As a journalist I will be extremely dishonest if I blame Imran Khan for not successfully fighting and eliminating ‘mafias’ in Pakistan. I feel ashamed of some journalists who sits in TV talk shows and lie through their teeth in defending ‘Sharifs’ and not mentioning the syndication of mafias in all spheres of life. Justice Sardar Shamim, Chief Justice of Lahore High Court open his court on Saturday, weekend to facilitate a bail hearing of Hamza Shabaz in absentia to give him relief until Monday.
Justice Athar MinaAllah Chief Justice, Islamabad High Court asked for guarantees from the government of Imran Khan as nothing will happen to Nawaz Sharif while receiving treatment in official facilities. No human being or state can give this guarantee. Lahore High Court orders a convicted criminal Nawaz Sharif and his guarantor both go out of its legal jurisdiction in another country over Rs.100 stamp paper affidavit.
A medical board presented a dodgy certificate for the court as ‘patient’s condition is extremely critical’ to facilitate escape to London via Qatar and patient walked to his home in London instead of going to hospital. Even staff of supreme court was involved in facilitating Sharif cases.
Now I would like to know from my fellow journalist, analyst and commentators’ colleagues how Imran Khan can fight with these mafias with resources beyond limits without taking special measures and speedy military courts as taken in war against terror?
The recent shortage of wheat and now sugar is linked with the same mafias sitting in the parliament and high positions. Mayor of New York Juliani faced the similar problem in fighting with mafias with limited police powers against very highly paid lawyers of mafias. He keeps on arresting them under various charges and they keep on sending expansive lawyers.
Prime Minister Imran Khan need all the support from patriotic people of Pakistan in uniform, and without uniform. Those rotten old woods are there but you need to get rid of them with ‘special measures, you have taken against Al-Qaeeda and its sympathizers.
As I said before the fast track delivery of desired justice to Nawaz Sharif a convicted criminal former prime minister by the Lahore High Court exposed the power of mafias in Pakistan. Use this crisis as opportunity and strike at the mafias like you did to TTP and Al-Qaeeda.
Boys in the boot are always disillusioned with the false sense of power than actual power. I told someone ‘you have a leak in your system’. From Benazir to Nawaz Sharif and Zardari, all did their best to clip the wings of security agencies and recent events expose the lack of capacity as modern espionage and security concerns have changed. Let the old boys go and let in the young blood with skills, knowledge and passion.
If you were so well informed and powerful how come billions were stolen from national wealth and land taken by mafias? You are not here just to sit and write reports and only use powerful iron hand against petty terrorists. Its time to improve the strength and capacity of the security establishment to meet the challenges.
Finally, there is a little ray of hope that some people in boots realizing, ‘that you cannot do everything with boots on and this delusion of ‘I know everything’. The needs of a modern army and warfare are different now. They should know that ‘corruption’ is a modern weapon to erode a nation from within while you were standing with a gun facing the enemy without know what the hell is going on behind your back’.
It was great that military called in the so called ‘business mafia’ at the GHQ economy seminar and showed them documents received from China that: ‘Pakistanis trades US$12 billion with China’. The business mafia only submitted receipts of US$6 billion to the FBR (federal board of revenue), by ‘under invoicing’ rest of the money was redirected to foreign banks.
The appointments of judge’s system need to be reviewed on war footings otherwise criminals in judiciary keep on releasing terrorists and criminal mafias. That was the only reason military courts were established. US State Department also raised concerns about the acquittal rate of the criminals in the Pakistani judiciary.
A mafia don in Afghanistan killed some man, confiscated the land and kicked out his children. A lawyer demanded from the brother of deceased half million US dollar to fight case in high court which he did not have. So, he went to Taliban with his case and within three hours on a Friday afternoon with a small legal fee of Rs 1000 judgment was delivered by the court. A full investigation was done both parties were called, mafia don confessed his crime, he was ordered to return the land and house as well as victim was offered to chose ‘a head’ or ‘head money’. Victim’s brother asked for head money as victim left 4 kids and a widow’. The judgment was implemented without spending half a million US dollars.
Having said that, Prime Minister Imran Khan also need to shed off his old pals from wining and dining days as they are not only corrupt and bent but also a liability, as their arms can be twisted by the ‘foreign agencies’ because of their corruption. He should replace his team with more professionals and experts.
Imran Khan should shed off criminals of business mafia from his inner circle and finally let go of this ‘Mr Nice Guy’, Usman Buzdar as country’s expectations and his capacity don’t match?
(Dr Shahid Qureshi is senior analyst with BBC and chief editor of The London Post. He writes on security, terrorism and foreign policy. He also appears as analyst on Al-Jazeera, Press TV, MBC, Kazak TV (Kazakhstan), LBC Radio London. He was also international Presidential election observer for Kazakhstan, 2019, 2016 and 2015, Azerbaijan 2018 and Pakistan 2002. He has written a famous book “War on Terror and Siege of Pakistan” published in 2009. He wrote his MA thesis on ‘Political Thought of Imam Khomeini’ and visited Tehran University. He is PhD in ‘Political Psychology’ also studied Law at a British University. He also speaks at Cambridge University and visiting professor in Hebe University in China.)
Views expressed are not of The London Post
